Libertarian Billionaire Peter Thiel Embraces Trump; Will Speak at RNC

A founding father of PayPal Inc., board member of Facebook, and libertarian champion who was once called “Ron Paul’s Billionaire,” Peter Thiel has apparently become a supporter of fellow elite Donald Trump. He is interestingly set to speak as a headliner at the RNC on Thursday night just before the Donald himself.

What is Peter’s thought process in getting behind the thoroughly not-libertarian Trump? Is Thiel still libertarian? In June, the PayPal billionaire made a statement to the press while attending a Bilderberg group meeting in Germany. When asked why, as a libertarian, he was taking part in a secretive gathering of other elites, Thiel said this:

“I believe that it’s always important to exchange views with people no matter what their perspectives are. I think we have a lot of problems in our society and we need to be finding ways to talk to people, we need to find ways to talk to people where not everything is completely transparent. Libertarianism isn’t synonymous with radical transparency. That’s often an argument that the Stasi would make in East Germany; where everything had to be monitored by “society.” And I think often you have the best conversations in smaller groups where not everything is being monitored and that’s how you can have very honest conversations and you can think better about the future. Thank you very much.”

Peter Thiel does seem to think strategically about how best to open-up new avenues for the advancement of liberty; strategies he has outlined in a Cato Unbound op-ed. Is this current move with Trump simply a calculated risk that could have a big pay-off in the future? The New York Times thinks it could be:

“…if Mr. Trump wins the White House, Mr. Thiel will have a direct line to a chief executive who hints at a penchant for making big things happen for his supporters. In 2004, Mr. Thiel made a $500,000 investment in Facebook, the earliest big bet on what was then one of many social networks. Facebook succeeded beyond anyone’s guess, and Mr. Thiel’s half million turned into close to half billion; he now sits on the company’s board. In some ways, the bet on Mr. Trump is a similar long-shot play that could pay off “big league,” as the Republican nominee might say.”

What do you think? Is Peter Thiel just being pragmatic? Is this a calculated risk that could pay-off for Thiel — and maybe even for liberty — in the future? Is this a big mistake? Let us know on Facebook.